Morning  “Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home,

I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that

is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.” / Haggai 1:9

Churlish souls stint their contributions to the ministry and missionary

operations, and call such saving good economy; little do they dream that they

are thus impoverishing themselves. Their excuse is that they must care for

their own families, and they forget that to neglect the house of God is the

sure way to bring ruin upon their own houses. Our God has a method in

providence by which he can succeed our endeavours beyond our expectation, or

can defeat our plans to our confusion and dismay; by a turn of his hand he can

steer our vessel in a profitable channel, or run it aground in poverty and

bankruptcy. It is the teaching of Scripture that the Lord enriches the liberal

and leaves the miserly to find out that withholding tendeth to poverty. In a

very wide sphere of observation, I have noticed that the most generous

Christians of my acquaintance have been always the most happy, and almost

invariably the most prosperous. I have seen the liberal giver rise to wealth

of which he never dreamed; and I have as often seen the mean, ungenerous churl

descend to poverty by the very parsimony by which he thought to rise. Men

trust good stewards with larger and larger sums, and so it frequently is with

the Lord; he gives by cartloads to those who give by bushels. Where wealth is

not bestowed the Lord makes the little much by the contentment which the

sanctified heart feels in a portion of which the tithe has been dedicated to

the Lord. Selfishness looks first at home, but godliness seeks first the

kingdom of God and his righteousness, yet in the long run selfishness is loss,

and godliness is great gain. It needs faith to act towards our God with an

open hand, but surely he deserves it of us; and all that we can do is a very

poor acknowledgment of our amazing indebtedness to his goodness.

 

Evening  “All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from

whence the rivers come, thither they return again.” / Ecclesiastes 1:7

Everything sublunary is on the move, time knows nothing of rest. The solid

earth is a rolling ball, and the great sun himself a star obediently

fulfilling its course around some greater luminary. Tides move the sea, winds

stir the airy ocean, friction wears the rock: change and death rule

everywhere. The sea is not a miser’s storehouse for a wealth of waters, for as

by one force the waters flow into it, by another they are lifted from it. Men

are born but to die: everything is hurry, worry, and vexation of spirit.

Friend of the unchanging Jesus, what a joy it is to reflect upon thy

changeless heritage; thy sea of bliss which will be forever full, since God

himself shall pour eternal rivers of pleasure into it. We seek an abiding city

beyond the skies, and we shall not be disappointed. The passage before us may

well teach us gratitude. Father Ocean is a great receiver, but he is a

generous distributor. What the rivers bring him he returns to the earth in the

form of clouds and rain. That man is out of joint with the universe who takes

all but makes no return. To give to others is but sowing seed for ourselves.

He who is so good a steward as to be willing to use his substance for his

Lord, shall be entrusted with more. Friend of Jesus, art thou rendering to him

according to the benefit received? Much has been given thee, what is thy

fruit? Hast thou done all? Canst thou not do more? To be selfish is to be

wicked. Suppose the ocean gave up none of its watery treasure, it would bring

ruin upon our race. God forbid that any of us should follow the ungenerous and

destructive policy of living unto ourselves. Jesus pleased not himself. All

fulness dwells in him, but of his fulness have all we received. O for Jesus’

spirit, that henceforth we may live not unto ourselves!